4 Common Atwood GC6AA-10E Problems (Troubleshooting)

Keeping a water heater in your RV is a great way to take comfortable showers and feel like you’re at home while you travel. The Atwood GC6AA-10E is a popular option for RV’s because it’s had steak in the community for a long time.

However, even when you purchase a water heater from a reliable manufacturer, you can encounter problems. Unfortunately, there’s no perfect water heater, so it’s important to understand common problems before you hit the road.

Please continue reading to learn the most common Atwood GC6AA-10E issues you can encounter in your RV and how to resolve them. In addition, we will discuss when the best time to contact customer service would be for your water heater.

Atwood GC6AA-10E Troubleshooting

 1. Faulty Gas Burner

The gas burner on your Atwood GC6AA-10E water heater has the important function of igniting the flame that warms the water. Unfortunately, when there’s something wrong with your gas burner, it’s impossible to keep a flame lit and receive hot water. This situation can lead to frustrating showers due to a lack of hot water.

Fortunately, you don’t have to keep dealing with this faulty gas burner forever. We will discuss several ways to resolve this issue and identify it below.

How To Identify

A faulty gas burner on your Atwood GC6AA-10E is one of the easiest problems you can identify. First, look at the pilot light and see if it’s working. If there’s no pilot light and you can’t get it to ignite, then you have a faulty gas burner.

Your water heater will not work when you have a faulty gas burner because it relies on the pilot light to warm the water. Now that you understand how to identify a faulty gas burner, it’s time to discuss troubleshooting methods.

How To Resolve

You can do a couple of things to resolve your gas heater problems. However, you must walk through these troubleshooting methods as soon as you notice the pilot light keeps going out.

• Check your gas connections: If you have a loose gas valve, it’ll be difficult to provide enough gas to your water heater. Ensure all connections are secure before walking through other troubleshooting methods regarding your pilot light. You should also check for any holes in your gas valve and purchase a replacement if necessary.
• Check your gas tank: If you have an empty gas tank, keeping your pilot light lit on your water heater will be impossible. Ensure that your gas tank is above the minimum line to provide enough gas to your water heater.
• Check your wiring: Real situations can cause your wiring to get damaged or loosen. For example, if you have a rodent infestation, they might chew through the why isn’t force you to buy replacements.
• Check your electricity: If you’re low on electricity, it will be impossible to keep your pilot light active. Check your generator battery and shore power to ensure everything is connected. If you can run appliances, you don’t have an electrical issue.

All these troubleshooting methods should resolve your pilot light ignition issues. However, whenever your pilot light doesn’t stay lit, it’s likely due to a faulty gas burner. If you still struggle to keep your pilot light lit after going through these troubleshooting methods, you may need to replace your burner.

2. Cold Water

It’s extremely frustrating when you hop in the shower and notice that you have cold water instead of hot. Unfortunately, running out of hot water is a common problem with any water heater, especially if you don’t set them up. Unfortunately, managing your water heater isn’t as easy as plugging it in and letting it go.

How To Identify

The easiest way to identify if you have a control panel issue is to turn on the water and see if it gets hot. You may need to run the water for up to a minute look forward to determining whether or not you have a control problem. If your water will not heat up, there’s something wrong with your temperature settings.

You can also experience temperature control problems if you have faulty sensors throughout your heating system. Again, you’ll need to check your control panel and sensors to ensure everything’s in working order before contacting a professional for help.

How To Resolve

Having cold water out of your plumbing system is an extremely common problem, even when you have a reliable water heater. Follow these troubleshooting methods to get your water temperature exactly how you want it.

• Check your water heater dial settings. This dial will allow you to control your water’s exact temperature. You can maximize your hot water by cranking the dial up.
• Remember that you can adjust the temperature from the faucets anytime you want. The temperature control only controls the maximum temperature your water heater allows.
• If you adjust your temperature and still notice an issue, you should replace your sensors. Your water heater needs to identify the temperature properly to get efficient hot water.

These tips should help you receive the hot water you desire for your RV. When you travel, it’s no reason to go without hot water because you can purchase a travel water heater.

3. Weak Gas Control Magnet

Your water heater relies on a magnetic system to provide efficient hot water to your RV. Whenever your magnet weakens, it’s time to walk through the troubleshooting methods and replace the magnet. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck with water that isn’t the temperature you want.

If your magnet doesn’t work, you’ll need to manually hold down the gas valve to receive hot water. Unfortunately, this is impossible to do when trying to use the water from your tank.

How To Identify

The easiest way to tell if you have a bad gas control magnet is to check your pilot light. If your pilot light keeps going out or refuses to ignite, Then there could be something wrong with the magnetic system your water heater relies on. This is a common issue people have with regular water heaters and RV water heaters alike.

How To Resolve

Fortunately, it’s an easy resolution if your Atwood water heater magnets go out. You simply need to replace the magnets with a new option. These parts are affordable, and you can find them on the Atwood website to ensure that you have the right ones.

You can also check with your local camping shop to see if they have Atwood water heater magnets. Many of these shops offer RV supplies that can come in handy when you’re in a sticky situation. However, these magnets wear out over time and eventually need a replacement, so don’t worry about replacing your entire water heater.

4. Unknown Error

Even though this guide covers most of the issues, you’ll encounter with your water heater, it doesn’t cover everything. In addition, you can still have unknown errors with your water heater that are difficult to resolve. For example, if you notice that your water doesn’t get hot, then there’s something wrong with your system.

How To Identify

Walk through our troubleshooting methods and see if any of them work. If these methods don’t work for you, you have an unknown error that needs a resolution. Fortunately, this unknown error might be an easier fix than you expect.

How To Resolve

Clean all your connection ports to ensure no dust or debris is trapped in your system. Even the smallest dust can make it difficult for connections to process your water heater needs. Cleaning this system should fix most of your problems if you’ve already tried our troubleshooting methods Leading up to this option.

Who To Contact About Atwood GC6AA-10E Issues

Unfortunately, there are situations where you need to contact a professional for further assistance with your water heater. You can’t resolve every water heater problem independently because there’s a chance it just doesn’t work anymore. Most water heaters have a warranty to ensure you don’t encounter trouble due to factory malfunctions.

If your water heater is still under warranty, you should contact the manufacturer’s customer support line. It’s important to contact them first so that you don’t accidentally violate your warranty by attempting repairs. If your water heater no longer falls under warranty, you need to call a water heater maintenance specialist for further assistance.

When to Replace Atwood GC6AA-10E

Every device you purchase has a lifespan that you can’t exceed. Sometimes, your water heater is at the end of its lifespan, and you need a replacement. If you’ve tried all of our troubleshooting methods and contacted a professional to no avail, it’s time to replace the device. It would be best if you didn’t have to keep dealing with cold water on your trips.

Final Thoughts

Even though the Atwood GC6AA-10E is an excellent water heater for your RV, you can encounter many problems. Temperature control, pilot light, and gas connection issues are some of your most common experiences when operating these devices. Fortunately, most of the water heater resolutions are easy to complete independently.

If you try each of our troubleshooting methods, it would be ideal to contact a professional for further assistance when you continue to have water heater problems. Unfortunately, there are some issues that you cannot fix without professional intervention.